Tokai MTB Trails are (mostly) Open

[Headshot]

@HowardSteele - Please change the title of this topic to Tokai Trails Open again with one or two exceptions. 

[HowardSteele]

Hi there Thanks for the Heads up 😁I had completely forgotten to update. 

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[HowardSteele]

Hi all, 

Yes The TokaiMTB trails are open

September latest 

Sanparks  opened the  sections of silvermine that remained closed however Tokai level 5 from the Broken road and the Donkey trail remain closed. At the moment there is no link for cyclists between the Tokai and Silvermine reserve. 

After the June reopening of Sanparks Tokai and Silvermine reserve certain sections remained closed and In Tokai it was the Level 4 and 5 area with access into Silvermine that remained closed.

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This impacted the Donkey trail ,Broken road and the Cobra trail and the Level 4 and 5 Jeep trail running upto the Silvermine boom entrance. 

SANPARKS has indicated that most of the closed areas should be reopened as of September. 

However The 3 trails mentioned still need to be evaluated and might warrant closure for maintenance. 

Thd Team had been busy with repairs and maintenance during the closed period and the heavy rains after June opening had required serious maintenance on thd Boulders and Fairy Garden trails.

The TokaiMTB trails falls into The Tokai SANPARK  reserve mountain biking is only allowed on certain jeep track and the Marked mountain bike trails.

Tokai gate times:
May – September 8am to 5pm
October – April 7am to 6pm

Silvermine gate times:
May – August 8am to 5pm
September – April 7am to 6pm

Access to the Tokai and Silvermine Reserves to partake in MTBing requires either a day pass or a Level 3 Activity card .

The TokaiMTB trails are repaired maintained and upgraded by the TokaiMTB Trail team 

https://tokaimtb.com/

looking forward to seeing you on the trails. 

H.

 

2024-TokaiMTB-trail-map.pdf

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Edited September 22, 2025 by HowardSteele
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[marko35s]

On 8/18/2025 at 9:56 PM, Jono said:

That's great news! Will give it a go tomorrow.

I assume the bees moved out during the fire?  

Cobra next please 🙏

We are looking at Cobra and the level 4 & 5 jeep tracks today so hopefully you get your wish on this one. It's either going to be Cobra or DH1.

Yep the bees appear to have left when the fire arrived. 

[marko35s]

As you may have heard SANParks has decided to re-open levels 4 & 5 as from next Monday, this threw us a bit of a curveball and meant we had to head out that way to check damage levels and safety issues.

There are a few spots on each level where you are likely going to have to walk for a few meters thanks to rockfalls, we have done just enough road building to allow us to get a vehicle past and will have to return later when time allows to sort the problems out properly. Our first drive around there took over four hours to complete, it was a bit of a mess.

We did a basic sweep and clear on Broken Road but it is a good idea to take your time down there, at least the first time you ride it. Also be aware that there is a rockfall just after the exit so please slow down a little at the end.

Both The Donkey Trail and the link up to Silvermine gate are going to remain closed for now due to rockfalls and safety concerns. So don't park in Silvermine and try and head down to Tokai, it's likely to go horribly wrong. The rockfall on the Silvermine gate link is particularly impressive and, me being me, I forgot to take a photo. So here's one of the Donkey Trail exit instead (And yes a whole lot of the trail looks like this) - 

 

[ChrisF]

We were on top of Ou Kaapse Weg on Wednesday.

 

The booms to enter Silvermine is still locked.  Even the parking area for cars is still off limits.  So certainly no cycling in that area.

 

 

Sad to see fire damage ....

[marko35s]

13 hours ago, ChrisF said:

We were on top of Ou Kaapse Weg on Wednesday.

 

The booms to enter Silvermine is still locked.  Even the parking area for cars is still off limits.  So certainly no cycling in that area.

 

 

Sad to see fire damage ....

Opening again on Monday according to SANParks.

You will be able to ride around Silvermine (not sure of the conditions because we haven't driven the full loop) just not down to Tokai.

[Chingy182]

3 hours ago, marko35s said:

Opening again on Monday according to SANParks.

You will be able to ride around Silvermine (not sure of the conditions because we haven't driven the full loop) just not down to Tokai.

Apologies in advance for my ignorance here, but just trying to understand fully.

Level 4 & 5 opening on Monday - how far does this section extend if we cannot go all the way to Silvermine Gate?

Would Beast entrance be the limit for now?

If Silvermine also opening on Monday - No way to ride up from Tokai to Silvermine Gate en do a loop around the reserve & back down the same way?

[Headshot]

19 minutes ago, Chingy182 said:

Apologies in advance for my ignorance here, but just trying to understand fully.

Level 4 & 5 opening on Monday - how far does this section extend if we cannot go all the way to Silvermine Gate?

Would Beast entrance be the limit for now?

If Silvermine also opening on Monday - No way to ride up from Tokai to Silvermine Gate en do a loop around the reserve & back down the same way?

Yes, your suppositions are correct.

[HowardSteele]

SANPARKS ANNOUNCES REOPENING OF SILVERMINE GATE 1 AND SILVERMINE TRAILS 

South African National Parks (SANParks) is excited to announce the second phase of the reopening of Silvermine Gate 1 and most of the trails in the Silvermine area on 1 September 2025. This follows the successful reopening of Silvermine Gate 2 and areas of Tokai on July 1, after the fire in late April 2025 that affected approximately 2,800 hectares in the area.

Upper Tokai will also reopen on the 1st of September, including Levels 4 and 5, which were previously closed in July due to unstable terrain during the rainy season. However, a section of the road from the Silvermine boom gate to the junction of Level 4 and 5 will remain inaccessible to cyclists, as rehabilitation efforts are still ongoing. The Donkey Trail from Silvermine to Upper Tokai and the Level 1 and 2 Jeep tracks for horseback riders will remain closed until further notice due to severe rain damage.

Silvermine Gate 1, located on the western side of Ou Kaapse Weg, which includes the Silvermine Dam, the Elephant's Eye trail, and the Silvermine Riverwalk, will be officially open to the public. Maintenance work will continue in certain areas, including the construction of new ablution facilities. Visitors will be able to make use of the ablution facilities located at the entrance gate and near the western side of the dam until the burnt facilities near the dam parking can be reconstructed. The uThango braai area will remain closed and is expected to reopen in December 2025, pending ongoing restoration of the infrastructure.

Although some trails may seem visually unaffected, access is being restricted in specific areas to ensure user safety and support ecological restoration efforts. Public safety is our top priority. Therefore, SANParks urges all trail users to strictly adhere to signage, area closures, and instructions from rangers. Visitors must remain vigilant and stick to designated paths at all times.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the SANParks Honorary Rangers, the Mapula Trust Fund, Tokai MTB, and all the other stakeholders and volunteers for their unwavering support in the rehabilitation efforts across Silvermine and Tokai. The Sugarbird Project has also commenced its alien invasive plant clearing initiative in collaboration with various stakeholders and volunteers. We sincerely appreciate everyone involved in this vital rehabilitation work. 

To ensure the safe reopening of these areas, SANParks is conducting Safety Awareness Campaigns as it welcomes visitors back. SANParks appreciates the public's patience and cooperation as we work towards safely restoring access to these important areas.

Ends

Issued by: South African National Parks (SANParks)

[marko35s]

And the latest news with access being restored to level 4 & 5 is the Cobra trail is now open for riding again.

The trail is pretty much as it was before the closure, we had to clear quite a bit of debris on the track in and fix up one or two spots on the actual trail but otherwise all good.

DH0 is still closed and will be looked at when we finish repairs on DH1.

Hopefully DH1 will be ready to go within the next two weeks, I will update here as soon as we have a confirmed date for repairs to be completed.

[Shebeen]

On 8/29/2025 at 8:10 AM, marko35s said:

Opening again on Monday according to SANParks.

You will be able to ride around Silvermine (not sure of the conditions because we haven't driven the full loop) just not down to Tokai.

I did puffer trail run on saturday, apparently first people allowed that part of silvermine. The road near noordhoek peak/fire lookout has taken some serious shots. I would be very surprised to see them allowing mtbs on that.

Wapad is also quite rof near the bottom. Nothing a mtb can't handle but dongas are growing.

[HowardSteele]

As of September 01..SANParks reopened the  Sections of Silvermine and Tokai that were closed after the fire.

However The road (level 5) From the Broken road trailhead to the Silvermine boom remains closed as it has been seen as unsafe for cyclists to use untill repairs have been done.

The Donkey trail will remain closed indefinitely. It has suffered major damage after fires and heavy rains.

The DH0 trail remains closed .

All the other trails are open an accessible. 

With the top level 5 closed at the boom and Broken road trailhead it means there is no link between Tokai and Silvermine Trails for cyclists. 

So get out there while the sun is shining and enjoy the trails.

 

Edited September 7, 2025 by HowardSteele

[marko35s]

On 9/2/2025 at 1:49 PM, Shebeen said:

I did puffer trail run on saturday, apparently first people allowed that part of silvermine. The road near noordhoek peak/fire lookout has taken some serious shots. I would be very surprised to see them allowing mtbs on that.

Wapad is also quite rof near the bottom. Nothing a mtb can't handle but dongas are growing.

Somehow missed this reply - as far as I know they are letting riders into all sections they could use before other than the link road (level 5) that leads down to Tokai.

I wouldn't expect to see much in the way of repairs on Wapad any time soon, not based on any particular info just a hunch.

[marko35s]

On 9/2/2025 at 10:23 PM, HowardSteele said:

As of September 01..SANParks reopened the  Sections of Silvermine and Tokai that were closed after the fire.

However The road (level 5) From the Broken road trailhead to the Silvermine boom remains closed as it has been seen as unsafe for cyclists to use untill repairs have been done.

The Donkey trail will remain closed indefinitely. It has suffered major damage after fires and heavy rains.

The DH0 trail is being repaired and should be open by end of next week. 

All the other trails are open an accessible. 

With the top level 5 closed at the boom and Broken road trailhead it means there is no link between Tokai and Silvermine Trails for cyclists. 

So get out there while the sun is shining and enjoy the trails.

 

One quick correction here - it's DH1 currently being worked on, no work on DH0 at the moment. That will likely get looked at after DH1 and Broken Road have had a bit more time put into them.

[Shebeen]

Survey. 

pathetic survey design, and should be sent to all Tokai MTB Central socials and member channels.

but filled in nonetheless. I had to pdf print it and email the person.

 

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South African National Parks (“SANParks”) would like to determine the value that recreational users derive from access to and participation in different activities offered at the TMNP.
 
Therefore, on behalf of SANParks TMNP, BDO is seeking input from recreational users such as yourself, who participate in some of the activities at the TMNP, to determine the economic impact and value of the TMNP. Your participation will help highlight the value of TMNP not only as a natural and cultural
asset but also as a driver of sustainable economic growth. Please click on the link below to complete the survey:
 
https://www.eSurveysPro.com/Survey.aspx?id=00ba902d-d1c3-47d0-b7e5-6dacd05ca4e8

The survey is short and easy.  We will greatly appreciate it if you will take a few minutes of your time to complete it. The completed surveys need to reach us by the 3rd October 2025.